This Castle In Denver Has A Dark And Evil History That Will Never Be Forgotten

Richthofen Castle is tucked away behind menacing barbed wire, thick overgrown plants, sturdy iron gates, and large stone walls that boast signs warning “Beware of Dog” and “No Trespassing.” The 14,000-square-foot fortress, also known as the “Red Baron’s Castle,” was completed in 1887 by Baron Walter von Richthofen, the uncle of the famed WWI flying ace the Red Baron. I’m sure Baron von Richthofen had good intentions when he purchased 320 beautiful suburban acres, named it Montclair, and promoted the neighborhood as being a model community and a “fount of health and prosperity.” However, he had no way of knowing that the castle and grounds would soon be the site of many untimely deaths and one of the most sensational murders in our city’s history. With its twisted and tainted past, it’s no wonder that this castle in Denver is rumored to be haunted.

The massive well guarded castle reportedly sold recently for nearly $4 million after almost two decades of being on and off the market. The home was modeled after the von Richthofen's ancestral castle in Germany and is rumored to contain 35 rooms, including eight bedrooms, a library, a billiard room, and the "Red Baron Bar," a replica of a WWI-era German pub complete with mannequins in uniform. But I imagine that the real estate listings most likely didn't mention the fact that the castle is also alleged to be haunted.

In 1898, Baron von Richthofen built a tuberculosis sanitarium on the property which would later become an insane asylum, and untimely deaths of patients were known to occur quite frequently due to strange beliefs about healing and unethical practices of early psychology. Apparently cows were kept in the basement of the institution so that the patients upstairs could breathe in the "healing" barnyard odors and be cured of their ailments. I suppose death was a grizzly and unforeseen side effect.

But on May 5, 1911, the site would be irreversibly tainted when Charles Patterson, a patient at the sanitarium, was shot in the back and killed by none other than his own wife. Gertrude Gibson Patterson claimed that Charles beat and abused her, forcing her to shoot him in self defense, but a witness reports seeing Charles crouched on the ground on his hands and knees, and Gertrude standing over him and firing multiple shots in his back, causing his early death.

Gertrude was charged with murder, and a heated and controversial trial would follow. It looked as though Gertrude's fate was sealed, until the defense called a last-minute surprise witness who corroborated her story of self defense, and jurors found her not guilty. Following her acquittal, rumors of shady dealings swirled, and mysteriously Gertrude fled the country.

We may never know the truth of what happened to Charles Patterson, but we do know that he and all the others who gave up the ghost at Richthofen Castle are making sure that their presence is not forgotten. Glowing apparitions appear in the castle tower, lights flicker on and off of their own volition, unexplained footsteps walk the stairways, objects move and disappear inexplicably, and figures have been seen wandering the grounds – one was allegedly wearing a white surgeon’s mask. Let’s just hope whoever purchased this haunted home has an affinity for the paranormal. Egads!